Celebrate “Collect Rocks Day”

September 16th is Collect Rocks Day.

It’s a good day to celebrate the Earth beneath our feet which God blessed us with.

This lovely home we travel on through space is littered with a wide variety of stones and gems. Children are often fascinated by the interesting shapes and colors of those jewels which hide beneath our feet.

On this Collect Rocks Day, you and your children may want to take some time to investigate rocks. I have included a list of fun activities that revolve around stones and rocks for you to choose from. I hope you find something here for your homeschool family to do that will pique your children’s interest in the beautiful pebbles that are scattered throughout our world.

Activities for Collect Rocks Day

Start a rock collection. Your kids can start their own rock collection. Rocks can be found on your own property, dirt roads, your friend or neighbor’s land (ask permission), and some parks (check their rules). If you want specific types, you can usually find them in the shops of historic sites or some other tourist attractions.

Rock painting. Find the biggest rocks that you can and let your children paint pictures on them.

Create rock pictures. Small rocks can be laid out on a piece of felt as My Nearest and Dearest shows here to create pictures. To make something more permanent, glue the rocks onto heavy cardboard instead.

Stone skipping. Do you have a lake, pond or other body of water nearby? Your children can bring some smooth stones there and try skipping them across the water.

Stone sort. Children can sort rocks into piles according to some characteristic. Younger children can sort by easy categories like color (brown and gray) or smoothness (rough and smooth). Older children can be more scientific and test for hardness.

Read Stone Soup. Sit down in your favorite rocking chair (pun intended) and read aloud Stone Soup to your kids.

Make stone soup. Let your children pick out a few rocks to add to your favorite soup recipe. (I highly recommend washing them off first)

Listen to music. What kind of music? Rock and Roll of course. Or you might prefer some of these simple songs about rocks, sand and mud on the CanTeach website.

Share Bible stories and quotes. David and Goliath is a good story from the Bible where a rock plays an important role. You might also like to share some of these quotes that involve stones with your kids:

• You were in Eden, the garden of God;
      every precious stone was your covering,
  carnelian, chrysolite, and moonstone,
      beryl, onyx, and jasper,
  sapphire, turquoise, and emerald;
      and worked in gold were your settings
      and your engravings.
  On the day that you were created
      they were prepared.
  –Ezekiel 28:13
• The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. — Psalm 118:22
• And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. — Matthew 16:18
• “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea.” — Matthew 18:6

Do YOU have ideas for other activities to do on Collect Rocks Day? I would love to hear about them in the comment section below.

Many blessings,